Gunslinger Boy
by Mrs. Ryoki
Summary: Takeru, a skilled lethal cyborg assasin working with his handler, Ken Ichijouji. Rescued by the Social Welfare Agency, his wounds were repaired with robotic components and normal procedure of brainwashing. But he has not completely forgotten how to love..
1. Prologue

**Gunslinger Boy**

By: Mrs. Ryoki  
Story Adaptation: Yu Aida's "Gunslinger Girl"

_The boy has a mechanical body. However, he is still an adolescent boy. _

**Prologue**

"Hey, Ken. Are you planning to visit every national hospital in Italy?"

Ken, at 19 years old, blew out a breath of smoke. He took out the cigarette pressed between his lips. "Not really." He replied.

Daisuke glanced at him. "I've made a selection already. A CFS syndrome patient abandoned by her family."

A curtain of indigo hair fell over Ken's narrowed eyes. "…Does it have to be around our age?"

"According to the engineers at the agency, yes. They say both the physical modification and the chemical brainwashing procedure work better on younger patients." The dark skinned boy remarked simply.

*********************************

"Dr. Kido, we are here because we heard you have a boy in serious condition." Daisuke stated, turning to face the doctor with a blank expression.

The doctor pushed up the glasses on the bridge of his nose nervously. "Y-yes, we do. He is in dire need of your assistance."

Ken's cat-like amethyst eyes softened at the display of a blonde boy, bandages draped all over his frail body.

Dr. Kido cleared his throat. "He says he wants…to kill himself."

********************************* 


	2. Observing the Heavens: 1

**Observing the Heavens**

"Daisuke, this is Miyako from Calabria. We effectively tracked down the hideouts of the five republics. But the Albanian is nowhere to be seen." She paused, considering the situation. "I think they've been transferred to Napoli already."

Daisuke ended his conversation with Miyako as he peered out through a set of binoculars on the roof of a building. He swiftly dialed another number on his cell phone. "Ken, get ready to make contact with the Albanian."

"Roger." Ken, five miles away, answered as his violet eyes flashed with preparation.

[Several years ago, my step-brother, Daisuke, and I…joined an organization called the Social Welfare Agency, in a public corporation.]

"Let's go, Takeru." Ken adjusted his crooked tie and motioned for the smiling seventeen year old boy to follow him.

"Yes, sir." The blonde boy smiled obediently, his cerulean eyes showing no emotion.

[Officially, it promotes projects to support the physically challenged under the support of the government. But actually, it gathers physically challenged people from all over the country and modifies them into cyborgs.]

He clutched his briefcase while holding Takeru's hand with the other. "Don't move until I confirm they're Albanians."

[It is a secret service organization that the government uses to do their dirty work.]

"Are you afraid, sir?" Takeru inquired as he and his handler strolled down the sunny streets.

Ken shook his head and smiled.

[The cyborgs have no memory of their previous life. They go through a brainwashing procedure called conditioning.]

*********************************

"We were notified that Calabria was attacked."

"What?"

"Someone is after the Albanian. If so, they might…"

Koushirou tapped his chin and finished the sentence, "Come here too."

A girl with short, red hair scrunched up her nose in disgust. "I heard the guy who attacked Calabria was with a kid."

Koushirou's ears perked up. "…Come to think of it, I heard a rumor. There is a government agency that uses kids as assasins."

_Knock knock._

A boy around the age of thirteen seized the gun from his pocket and glanced through the peep hole.

"Iori, do you see anything?"

Iori stepped back from the door and looked at Koushirou with a worried glance. "Well…a guy in a business suit and a boy with blonde hair."

"…open it up." Koushirou commanded.

The child nodded in understanding and stuck the gun in his jeans pocket. He opened the door.

"Hello. What do you want?"

Ken's eyes remained composed. "I'm a reporter with Libero Italia."

Iori's eyebrows knitted. "What would a reporter want with us?" His hand was still tightly clenched to the door knob.

Ken smiled calmly. "I heard Mr. Izumi of the Costero company is here, and I would very much like to talk with him."

Koushirou motioned to Iori to dismiss the man at the door. "Nobody by that name is here. Did you check the address?" He glared, about to shut the door.

"Yes. I confirmed the address, and this building. Is it-"

Takeru watched the thirteen year old boy draw out a gun and pressed it against Ken's chest. "Hey…I told you, you got it wrong…"

"But…" Ken murmured in protest.

"If you don't quit bothering me, you'll be sorry." He poked the nose of the gun deeper into the older man's torso.

The blonde boy examined the situation behind Ken's back, seething as his face turned red. "….grr."

:Whack:

Takeru slammed the leather briefcase he held into Iori's face. The younger boy stumbled back and collapsed.

"No! Iori!" A girl with auburn hair cried, slamming the door wide open with a gun held in one hand.

:Bam bam bam:

Takeru shot the girl three times. The briefcase lay open on the floor, containing weapons and ammunition.

:Bam bam bam:

More men collapsed to the floor. Takeru's hardened blue eyes met Koushirou's dark, afraid ones.

:Bam:

Takeru clutched the gun to his chest protectively.

"Having fun?" A sweat drop slid down Ken's cheek as he entered the room.

"Uh.."

Ken picked up his cell phone. "Hey, Daisuke. Mission abortive. Send back up." He pocketed the electronic device inside his jacket and shot a look of disappointment at his assistant.

"Takeru," he started. "Why did you go out of control?"

Tears collected at the corner of large, innocent ocean eyes. "Well…I can't let anyone hurt you…" Takeru sniffed, his cheeks reddening.

Ken leaned closer to the boy and patted his head. "Did you forget what I just told you?"

"No, sir." Takeru looked down in shame.

"You've been hit in the arm. Are you alright?" The nineteen year old observed the wound on Takeru's arm.

"It's nothing. I'm okay."

*********************************

"Ken…" The two figures clambered into the van.

"Yeah?" Ken stole a look at Takeru. "Are you in pain?"

The blonde squeezed his eyes tightly. 'No! I, I…just wanted to be of use…" He stared at his handler sadly.

Ken sighed. "Be sure to have a doctor take a look at that injury as soon as we get back."

*********************************

Inside a grand but worn out boarding house, surgery was taking place.

"Doctor, how is Takeru?" Ken interrogated, a look of concern on his face.

"The bullet just shaved off some skin and artificial muscular tissue. I don't think we need to replace the whole arm." The surgeon replied, scrutinizing the blond cyborg's condition. "Good. I only have to use a little bit of medication on him."

Ken exhaled in relief. "That's good." The color from his face was still drained as he saw the amount of blood Takeru had lost.

"The kids here are already taking large doses of it for their conditioning. If we keep using it as tranquilizer every time we do repairs…" The doctor drifted off. "Eventually, they'll become addicted or suffer memory dysfunction."

"I see." Ken commented timidly.

"So what happened today?" The doctor pried. "I heard he ignored your order and went crazy."

The blue haired boy rolled his fists into balls as he spoke. "Takeru counts the bodies he creates for me…"

"That's a hell of a thing…" The surgeon injected the medication. He looked up from his work and stared at Ken. "I appreciate that you love this boy, but…don't you think you should consider her brainwashing more carefully? Treating a cyborg assassin like a normal boy will only create more unhappiness."

Ken walked away. 'But I can't do that…'

********************************* 


	3. Observing the Heavens: 2

**Observing the Heavens cont.**

"Ken, you need to increase the level of conditioning for Takeru." Daisuke slammed his fist onto the desk. "Hunting dogs need to wear collars."

Taichi leaned back on his chair and sucked on the tip of his cigar, listening to the discussion attentively. His glassy brown eyes skimmed over the two step brothers who were arguing.

Ken clenched his fists so forcefully that his purple veins emerged upon his fair skin. "Using too much of the medication will shorten her life."

The brunette folded his arms in defense. "We can just find a new patient once she's 'spent.' You're letting yourself get too attached to a tool." He shook his head resignedly and propped himself against the wall.

"Hold it, Dai." Taichi countered, withdrawing the cigar from his lips. "Takeru has some problems but he's an excellent assassin. He's too good to be a disposable unit." He closed his eyes and sighed. "At any rate, we successfully captured the Albanian. I will overlook the mishap this time."

Daisuke dropped his head. "I understand." His shoulders slumped as he sauntered out of the office.

"Ken. Each handler is responsible for his cyborg." Taichi stated as brought the cup of coffee on his desk to his mouth. "If you're sure Takeru will work with the minimum dosage of conditioning, go ahead and try."

The boy brushed a few wisps of blue hair from his face as he heard his boss's proposal.

Taichi gulped down the scalding drink and placed the empty cup back onto the table. "Remember, no mistakes will be tolerated. Make sure Takeru understands that."

"Yes, sir."

*********************************

[When Takeru arrived at the agency, he was a very quiet boy. This was understandable. After all, he was the victim of a terrible tragedy.]

Ken exited the meeting room and rushed to the elevator. He needed to see him. He wasn't sure why, but there was just some sort of mysterious relationship between him and his partner, regardless of the three year age difference. Takeru always needed looking after.

[All three members of his family were butchered. Takeru was the only survivor.]

'I wonder if he's feeling okay?' The pale boy mused, tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for the lift.

[When I first saw him at the national hospital, he was torn up both physically and mentally. I hand picked him for my partner.]

_Ding. _

The indigo-haired man entered the elevator briskly and punched in the desired floor. The boarding house consisted of four floors, if not including the roof top.

[I'm not sure if I wanted to do a good deed, or if it was just out of pity. I wanted…to reach out and help him.]

*********************************

Flashback

Two figures sat on top of the rooftop, clad in comfortable and loose fitting clothes. The weather was pleasant that day. Not a cloud in a sight, just blue skies and a nimble breeze.

Ken stared at Takeru seriously. "Listen, to be efficient, you have to learn many things."

Takeru gripped the rifle with both hands determinedly, returning the somber gaze.

[Children selected by the agency undergo conditioning in addition to physical modification. Fortunately, for them, as a result of conditioning, memories of their terrible pasts are erased.]

"Every successful job is the result of an accumulation of simple tasks." Ken explained. "I will prepare notes for you to study every day." He glimpsed at the blonde, eyes narrowing. 'Is he listening to me?'

Takeru's eyes were blank, the wind played with his golden tresses as they flew about. "…"

"When you're making a sniper shot, if the distance is within 600 meters, you target the head. If it's more than that, aim at the center of body."

[I started making more of an effort to talk with him.]

"Look up." Ken pointed a finger towards the clear skies. A smile was tugging at the corners of his lips.

"Huh?"

The five feet ten boy stood up and directed his index finger to a glowing light in the heavens. "Can you see a dim light there?"

Takeru got to his feet and blinked at the object Ken was indicating to. "What is that?" He inquired with questionable eyes.

Ken grabbed the gun from his assistant's arms and loaded it effortlessly. He smiled solemnly. "What could it be? A light in the sky? It could…be a fairy."

Takeru flushed at seeing Ken smile. He brushed his bangs away from his piercing eyes. "Could it be an airplane?"

"Hmm." The handler mused out loud, grinning. "Good answer. During the war, people would run scared thinking it was an airplane." He unlatched the mini telescope from the gun. "If you saw it at night, what would you think?" He stood behind Takeru and placed the scope over his assistant's large eyes.

"….A star…?" Takeru reacted in wonder, his jaw dropping a little.

A grin played across Ken's lips. "Yes, that's right. It's Venus. It orbits between the earth and the sun." He glanced down at the blonde. "Uh, be careful. Don't look at the sun directly." He cautioned, releasing the younger boy's shoulder.

Takeru placed both hands on the telescope and ogled through the lens in awe.

"I guess it's impossible to shoot Venus in its head with this rifle." Ken smiled pitifully as he raised the gun and attempted to aim at the star.

The blonde was still peering through the telescope.

"Ken, you know everything, don't you?"

End Flashback

*********************************

Takeru's lids shot open, unaware of the tear that rolled down from his azure eyes. "…huh?"

"Are you awake?" The doctor asked, fiddling with the instruments on the silver trays.

The blonde bolted up from his sleeping position. "!" He felt something wet slide down his cheek. "…?" 'Tears?'

"You can't have a proper bath until the skin on your arm heals." The doctor muttered a cluster of other restrictions, but stopped as he saw the cyborg crying. "What's wrong? Did you have a bad dream?"

Takeru brought the bed sheets to his eyes, hunching his back as he wept. "Well…I don't really know. I can't stop crying…"

*********************************

"Takeru!"

The seventeen year old turned around as he stepped out of the hospital wing and saw his friend Hikari jog over. "Daisuke tells me you went out of control. Is that true?"

He blushed and clutched the bag of dirty clothes against his chest. "Uh..well, I got mad." He stared at his feet, sighing. "Hikari, what should I do? I think…I think Ken hates me now."

Hikari's warm eyes relaxed as she patted her friend's back soothingly. "I don't think so. Don't worry."

"…but," His timid voice squeaked.

The girl smiled and interrupted, "no buts. Ok. Let's have a drink together in Tachikawa's room."

"A drink? I guess…"

*********************************

"Don't you know that a piece of cake is like a little slice of happiness?" Hikari beamed as she and Takeru sat across from each other in the dorm room, drinking tea and nibbling cheesecake.

She wiped her mouth with a napkin. "You wanted to do a good deed right?"

The boy shifted his gaze nervously. "Well…um, I guess you're right."

The girl with the pixie hair cut clasped her hands together. "You would do anything you could to please him, wouldn't you?"

Before Takeru could answer, a girl with long russet hair lying on her stomach on the upper bunk bed interjected. "But Hikari…that's just about the only thing we can do." She smiled serenely as she resumed to the book she was reading.

"Huh?" Hikari blinked her eyes in confusion.

The blonde boy scooped up more spoonfuls of sugar and sprinkled it into his tea.

"I didn't think you liked your tea so sweet, Takeru." The girl on the bunk bed pointed out.

"Um, I can't taste anything lately. So I end up using a lot of sugar."

Mimi broke into a wide grin, sitting up as she dangled her legs over the edge of her bed. "Alright. I'm gonna call you 'sweetie' from now on."

"Uugh! No way." Takeru objected, blushing as he sipped his drink.

"Good idea!" Hikari cheered as she and Mimi laughed together. "It's like they say, 'enjoy your youth while it lasts!'"

"You really make no sense, Hikari…"

********************************* 


	4. Observing the Heavens: End

**Observing the Heavens cont.**

Takeru sat on the edge of the lower bunk bed, the dorm which he roomed with Rico. He held up the coat that was tarnished with blood, gazing at it wistfully.

"Takeru, are you there?"

The blonde promptly stuffed the jacket back into the paper carrier. "Yes, sir! C..come in."

Ken opened the door and ambled in. "How's your arm?" His eyes flickered with worry.

"Well…it still feels a bit heavy." The boy blushed.

His handler smiled sincerely at him. "Can you come up to the roof?"

"…Sure."

"It's chilly. Put this on." Ken handed the cyborg a shopping bag.

He stared at the item in his hands. "Is it alright for me to keep this?" Takeru clutched the bag uncertainly.

The older boy turned his head and smiled secretively. "I'll be waiting for you up there." He left Takeru standing there.

The blonde carefully opened the bag and reached inside. He extracted it out with his right hand and felt his cheeks heat up. 'A new coat…' He closed his eyes in harmony and caressed the jacket close to his body.

*********************************

He tiptoed up the stairs to the rooftop, sporting the pristine jacket Ken had given him. Takeru unbolted the door and peeked through the crack shyly.

Ken stood there, waiting with a tranquil smile on his face. A telescope was propped next to him. "C'mon over here."

Takeru opened the door wider and stared at Ken with huge eyes. In the cold night air, his breath could be visibly seen, in short white puffs.

"Hurry up, now." Ken pushed.

Takeru paced over curiously. "Is that a telescope?"

The boy with navy blue tresses beamed proudly. "I've been wanting to show you the stars with a real telescope, not just a rifle scope."

The younger boy grinned happily. "It's the first time for me to see the stars. What's going on, is everything okay?"

Ken exhaled. "Uhmm…" He was at loss for words. He tilted his head back and fluttered his eyes shut. "…It's a perfect evening for looking at the stars, don't you think? It's a reward for your good work today."

The stars shimmered in the sky like diamonds, upon the blanketed darkness.

Takeru paled. "…uh oh…are you going to scold me for what I did today?" His body stiffened.

Ken peered through the telescope. "Do you want me to scold you?" He asked evenly without looking up. "Come over here. You can see Orion clearly."

Takeru took timid footsteps and bent down to peer through the lens.

"Orion the hunter was mistakenly shot and killed by his lover, Artemis." Ken addressed. "The goddess Artemis was thrown into depths of sorrow."

Takeru tucked a lock of hair that fell in front of his eyes. "…"

"She asked to add Orion the hunter to the constellations so that she could see him whenever she flew in the night sky." The boy's scarf danced along with the wind as he spoke. "It's such a sad story."

Takeru looked up from the telescope. "Ken?"

"Yes?"

"You know everything, don't you?"

"…Yes, I do."

Two figures stood side by side gazing at the star-studded midnight sky, savoring the moment.

********************************* 


End file.
